ISPA welcomes Cell C as JINX expands

The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has added an extension in Parklands to its Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX) to cater for the rapid growth over the past few years.

That JINX’s growth continues unabated is demonstrated by the recent addition of Cell C to the peering point. Cell C now exchanges Internet traffic with other ISPs through JINX, allowing it and other ISPs to enjoy reduced costs and higher service levels. Mobile operator MTN also interconnects at the exchange point through its MTN Business division.

Said Rob Hunter, Chair of the INX Working Group at ISPA, “Mobile operators account for a growing proportion of the country’s Internet traffic, so we are delighted to bring Cell C on board for JINX. Taking part in JINX benefits operators and ISPs alike by allowing them to save costs and offer better performance for their customers. We hope to forge closer relationships with all the mobile network operators for all three INX points in the months to come.”

More than 30 ISPs now connect to JINX and exchange more than 2 Gbps of traffic at JINX during peak times. Growth is expected to accelerate in the next few months as the number of JINX users continues to increase.

The new Parklands facility adds to ISPA’s Rosebank infrastructure, which is hosted by Internet Solutions (IS). Two additional server racks and a new switch in Parklands will provide plenty of capacity for JINX’s projected growth. The peering point adds a vital level of redundancy into the local Internet and boosts the performance of local Internet usage by creating shorter routes between ISPs. JINX is open to all ISPs and network operators, not just ISPA members.

The Parklands infrastructure also adds resiliency to JINX since the two facilities are run as a single virtualised exchange. Cisco donated the two switches that run the exchange while Business Connexion absorbed the transport costs of the Cisco switches.

“JINX has played an important role in lowering costs for South African ISPs and improving the Internet experience of their subscribers. The growth it has experienced has been staggering, prompting this new investment into the exchange. “We would especially like to thank our sponsors Cisco and Business Connexion for their donations to JINX. They are playing a valuable role in providing the level of service that our ISP members and their customers deserve,” said Mr Hunter.

In addition to JINX, ISPA runs a Cape Town INX that handles more than 500 Mbps of traffic from 16 peering ISPs during peak times. The organisation is in the process of setting up the very first INX for Durban.

ISPA is a non-profit South African Internet industry organisation. It was formed in June 1996 and currently represents over 140 Internet service providers with a diverse range of services and target markets. Members include non-profit providers and educational networks, as well as commercial service providers.